Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan controlled the “Last Dance” footage for over 18 years before he decided it was time to release the epic docuseries.
In 2016 after LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the 73-9 Golden State Warriors in the '16 Finals, Mike Tollin–who had worked on the 2014 documentary “Iverson” about Allen Iverson–secured a meeting with Jordan.
Per Ramona Shelburne of ESPN, after Jordan and Tollin met, the Bulls icon decided he was ready to release the “Last Dance.”
Tollin hopped on a red-eye from Los Angeles to Charlotte, checked into the Westin hotel around 8 a.m. and tried to catch a couple of hours of sleep before connecting with Portnoy.
“The universe has such a funny sense of humor,” Tollin said. “Because when I woke up, I put on ESPN while I'm getting dressed, and there's LeBron [James] and the Cavaliers parading through the streets of Cleveland with the trophy that they'd just won.”
“So there's Kareem [Abdul-Jabbar], there's Hank Aaron, there's ‘Varsity Blues,' there's ‘Coach Carter' and so forth,” Tollin said. “He's actually looking at them all, and in the bottom right corner is ‘Iverson.' He goes, ‘You did that?'”
Tollin didn't answer. Jordan repeated the question.
Tollin wondered if this was going to work for or against him. Like the timing with the Cavaliers' championship parade that morning, it was impossible to know.
Tollin mumbled a cautious, “Yes.”
Jordan took his glasses off, looked up and said, “I watched that thing three times. Made me cry. Love that little guy.”
Then he walked around the desk, extended his hand and said, “Let's do it.”
The “Last Dance” will premiere tomorrow on ESPN and ESPN2.
The docuseries follows the '97-98 Bulls, which won the championship over the Utah Jazz. This was the final title Jordan and the Bulls won. They went 6-0 during the '90s.
The docuseries is 10 parts, which is perfect since sports fans need something to watch. All major sports leagues have been suspended due to COVID-19.
The Bulls haven't been to the Finals since the Jordan era ended. The franchise recently has become a walking disaster after trading stars Derrick Rose and Jimmy Butler.
This docuseries should be uplifting for Bulls fans.
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